Bobbin with strand engaging means



Jan. 4, 1966 F. PARKS 3,227,394

BOBBIN WITH STRAND ENGAGING MEANS Filed Oct. 5, 1965 0 2 9 2 g. ROBERT T ZZZEG ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,227,394 BOBBIN WITH STRAND ENGAGING MEANS Robert F. Parks, Grecnvllle, S.C., asslgnor to Steel Heddle Manufacturing Company, Paris, S.C., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Oct. 3, 1963, Ser. No. 314,587 4 Clalms. (Cl. 242-125.!)

This invention relates to improved bobbins with strand engaging means which are especially useful in loom winders and the like.

This is a continuation-in-part of applicant's co-pending application, Serial No. 298,331 filed July 29, 1963, now abandoned.

Bobbins presently in common use in loom winders are illustrated in United States Patent No. 2,824,708 issued to F. W. Higgins on February 25, I958. The staples of such bobbins must be driven individually requiring separate actions to position them in the butt. Since the staples are driven in parallel with the center line of the bobbin, they must be further bent or inclined towards the center of the bobbin by separate operation in order to properly position them. The action of bending these staples tends to loosen their hold in the wood. The fact that the staples must be formed or bent after insertion prevents them from being constructed of a spring wire and, therefore, they are constructed of relatively soft wire material and are often bent by contact with other bobbins in their normal use. The staples are ditficult to drive in hard maple and especially impregnated maple, and it is impractical to drive them in some of the harder plastics that have been used for bobbin butts. These staples then are subject to bending, breaking, loosening, and rusting under extremely high humidity conditions. Due to the high cost of the equipment involved, it is impractical for the mill to repair bobbins damaged in the manner described above.

Accordingly. it is an important object of the present invention to provide a bobbin with strand engaging means which may be easily and removably positioned upon the barrel in a single operation.

Another important object of the invention is to provide such a strand engaging means affording the above advantage in which damage to the cleats from blows and humidity conditions existing in mill operations is avoided.

Still another important object of the invention is to provide such a bobbin with strand engaging means having the above advantages in which the cleats are prepositioned and have improved strand engaging properties.

The construction designed to carry out the invention will be hereinafter described, together with other features thereof.

The invention will be more readily understood from a reading of the following specification and by reference to the accompanying drawing forming a part thereof, wherein an example of the invention is shown and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation illustrating a bobbin with strand engaging means constructed in accordance with the present invention positioned in a loom winder preparatory to a winding operation,

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating a device constructed in accordance with the present invention with parts broken away for purposes of illustration,

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged plan view illustrating a device constructed in accordance with the present invention,

FIGURE 4 is a plan view illustrating a device constructed in accordance with a modified form of the inventioa, and

FIGURE 5 is a plan view illustrating a device constructcd in accordance with another modified form of the invention.

The drawing illustrates a textile bobbin having a butt and an elongated barrel such as to be capable of receiving a strand wound thereon as in a loom winder and the like. An annular body portion A constructed of relatively hard. elastic, flexible material coacts with a groove B carried by the bobbin adjacent the butt for positively confining the annular body portion in fixed position upon the barrel as illustrated in FIGURE 2. A plurality of spaced, yarn engaging, cleats C are carried integrally with the annular body portion and are also constructed of relatively hard, elastic, flexible material. The free end portions of the cleats overlie a portion of the barrel for initially engaging the strand to start the operation of winding the strand on the barrel as illustrated in FIGURE 1. Thus, the annular body portion and the cleats carried thereby may be removably placed upon the barrel, and damage to the cleats front blows and humidity conditions existing in mill operations is avoided. A sleeve D is integral with the ring and frictionally engages the peripheral surface of the barrel. The annular body portion, the cleats and the sleeve are preferably constructed of a relatively hard, elastic, flexible material having a relatively high coefficient of friction.

The bobbin 10 includes a butt 10a and the tapering barrel or blade 10b, FIGURE 1 shows the bobbin positioned between the spindle 11 and the bobbin support center assembly or tailstock 12 of a loom winder. The strand or yarn Y is illustrated in FIGURE 1 having been moved along the periphery of the barrel 10b to a position to be engaged by the cleats C. As the bobbin 10 starts to rotate, the yarn guide 13, the carrier (not shown), and the bunch guide (not shown) position the yarn Y on the projections or cleats C. This phase of the winding operation is described in detail in the Loom Fixers Manual for the Unifil Loom Winder, Catalog No. 790i-l, by Lcesona Corporation, Providence, Rhode island.

The annular body portion A is preferably constructed of a polyurethane elastomer, such as Estane" #5740 x 7 by the B. F. Goodrich Chemical Company, and may be injection moulded. Rubber-like elastomcrs of this type are extremely tough and elastic, having high tensile and tear strengths and excellent resistance to wear, abrasion, oxidation and chemical attack. The body portion A has an outwardly and inwardly tapered surface 14 extending from the outer peripheral surface of the butt 100, overlying the barrel lOb. The body portion A has an internal bead or ring 15 for reception by the groove B. The groove B may consist of an annular concave depression formed by the ring 16, spaced outwardly of the butt as illustrated in the drawing, a depression in the tapered surface of the barrel or by other means sutficient to generate the required friction.

The tooth-like projections in the form of cleats C continue the outward and inward taper of the surface 14 and are integrally carried by the outer periphery of the body portion so that the cleats overlie the barrel 10b. The sleeve D resilently engages the ring 16 carried by the blade 10b so as to add to the positive fixing of the body portion A upon the barrel 10b. It is preferable that the sleeve D be positioned above the groove B since its maximum efi'ectiveness is achieved thereby. Spaces 17 are thus defined between the cleats C for reception of the yarn Y.

A groove 14a is defined by the outer portion 14 of the body portion A and the sleeve D so that when the body is positioned so as to coact with the groove B the sleeve D may independently, resiliently engage the ring 16 carried by the barrel 10b.

FIGURE 4 illustrates a modified form of the invention in which like reference characters are used to designate like parts. It will be noted that the cleats C have been modified in such a way that the outer surface is reduced by the removal of a portion of the cleat in the upper corner in the direction of rotation of the bobbin during winding. Thus, any tendency for the yarn to hang up on the upper surface of the cleat is removed. The projecting portion 18, while relatively small, is sufficient to engage the yarn to start the winding should the yarn fail to enter the space between cleats. The larger base portion of the cleats is sufficient to give adequate'strength and stiffness to the cleat.

FIGURE 5 illustrates another modified form of the invention in which like reference characters are used to designate like parts. The cleats C have been modified to reduce the outer surface thereof by removing a triangular section defining a surface 19 on the side of the cleat opposite the direction of rotation of the bobbin during winding. The large base of the triangular cleat thus formed is suflicient to support the relatively small top portion.

It will be observed that the cleats may assume any desired shape effective to catch the yarn to start the winding operation. The shapes of the cleats referred to in the drawing are especially desirable as would be the shapes of the cleats illustrated in Patent No. 2,824,708, referred to above.

Since this'device is constructed of a rubber-like material, the cleats can receive normal shocks and abuse and retain their shape, and therefore function properly throughout the life of many bobbins. This device can be installed manually and, therefore, can be salvaged from a damaged bobbin and reused. It is retained on the bobbin due to its elasticity and locking groove and, therefore, could be placed on any material with equal ease. The device is essentially a single unit with spaced multiple projections and hence will not likely lose one or more of the yarn catching prongs or cleats through breakage or loosening. The material has a' relatively high coeflicient of friction and, therefore, is more efficient in catching and holding the yarn. This device has the further advantage of being less costly due to the simplified installation of the cleats. It has the further advantage that it can be produced in many different colors and therefore, be used in lieu of an identifying stripe on the bobbin.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has.

been described using specific terms, such description is parting from the spirit or scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. For use in a textile bobbin such as to be capable of receiving a strand wound thereon as in a loom winder and the like, having a groove therein adjacent the juncture of the butt and the elongated barrel; an annular body portion constructed of relatively hard, elastic, flexible material having a relatively high coefficient of friction for engaging the groove to confine the body portion upon the barrel; a 'sleeve integral with the body portion constructed of relatively hard, elastic, flexible material -having a relatively high coefficient of friction for frictionally engaging the peripheral surface of the barrel to fix the body portion upon the barrel; and a plurality of spaced, yarn engaging, cleats carried integrally with the body portion also constructed of relatively hard, elastic, flexible material having a relatively high coefficient of friction; the free end portions of said cleats overlying a portion of the barrel for initially engaging the strand to start-the operation of winding the strand on the barrel; whereby the body portion and the cleats carried thereby may be removably placed upon the barrel; and whereby damage to the cleats from blows and humidity conditions existing in mill operations is avoided.

2. The structure set forth in claim 1 in which said fiexible'material is a polyurethane elastomer.

3. The structure set forth in claim 2 in which the cleats include a relatively small outwardly projecting portion extending from the corner of the cleat remote from the direction of travel of the bobbin during winding.

4. The structure cleats extend outwardly in a triangular shape, the .base of the triangular shape being carried by the body portion A.

References Clted by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,614,771 10/1952 Goodhue 242-125.! 2,824,708 2/ 1958 Higgins 242125.l 3,118,633 1/1964 Belville 24Zl25.1

MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner. G. F. MAUTZ, Assistant Examiner.

set forth in claim 2 in which the 

1. FOR USE IN A TEXTILE BOBBIN SUCH AS TO BE CAPABLE OF RECEIVING A STRAND WOUND THEREON AS IN A LOOM WINDER AND THE LIKE, HAVING A GROOVE THEREIN ADJACENT THE JUNCTURE OF THE BUTT AND THE ELONGATED BARREL; AN ANNULAR BODY PORTION CONSTRUCTED OF RELATIVELY HARD, ELASTIC, FLEXIBLE MATERIAL HAVING A RELATIVELY HIGH COEFFICIENT OF FRICTION FOR ENGAGING THE GROOVE TO CONFINE THE BODY PORTION UPON THE BARREL; A SLEEVE INTEGRAL WITH THE BODY PORTION CONSTRUCTED OF RELATIVELY HARD, ELASTIC, FLEXIBLE MATERIAL HAVING A RELATIVELY HIGH COEFFICIENT OF FRICTION FOR FRICTIONALLY ENGAGING THE PERIPHERAL SURFAE OF THE BARREL TO FIX THE BODY PORTION UPON THE BARREL; AND A PLURALITY OF SPACED 